The FCA US LLC Headquarters and Technology Center is the North American headquarters and main research and development facility for the automobile manufacturer FCA US LLC (commonly known as Chrysler). in the United States. It is located in the Metro Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Completed in 1996, the complex has 5,300,000 square feet (490,000 m2) on 504 acres (2.04 km2) located near Interstate 75.[1]

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CRSS Architects[a] designed the FCA US LLC Headquarters and Technology Center in a cross-axial formation where its elongated atrium topped concourses converge with an octagonal radiant skylight at its center. The rounded-off exterior corners are meant to evoke a polished car body. It was reported on an NPR game-show that according to a Businessweek article, the Chrysler headquarters was designed so that it could be converted to a shopping mall.[2] It was later reported, based on mall industry analysis and speculation from local real estate investors, that the mall design story was a hoax.[3] Chrysler also has executive offices at the landmark Chrysler House in downtown Detroit.

The facility includes a full laboratory level with various wind tunnels, 1.8 miles (2.9 km) evaluation road, noise/vibration facility, electromagnetic compatibility center, environmental test center (able to create rain, snow, and extreme temperatures), pilot production plant, and wind tunnel with thermal testing capability. A 57,000 square feet (5,300 m2) training center was included from the start, with a teleconferencing center and fitness center. The basement hallways are large enough for two cars to pass each other, allowing some testing within the building; and the test cells have their own separate foundation, to avoid vibrating the rest of the complex.[4]

Construction began in 1986, and the facility was largely complete upon its dedication on October 15, 1991. It reached full occupancy in 1993. Planning for the facility began in 1984. Chrysler replaced its outdated Highland Park campus, which was located at 12000 Chrysler Drive. It was off the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) and Davison Freeway (Route 8), with Brush Street one block away, and predated the formation of Chrysler Corporation itself. The facility was used to improve product development efficiency, increase the ease of inter-departmental collaboration, and create a more satisfying workplace. It was approximately 1 mile southeast from the Highland Park Ford Plant.

Chris Theodore, John Miller, and Dick Terrigian were charged with working on the design of the Technology Center and planning the move from the Highland Park facility; they used the design of the complex to reinforce the platform team approach which was then being introduced at the company. In 2012, Chris Theodore said they were instrumental in “putting one platform team over the other, aligning body engineering over body engineering, etc. Setting up a team-centered core where each platform team could have finance, purchasing, manufacturing, planning and engineering all working together as a team -and, of course, making all the laboratories useable.” [5]